Preparing To Basically Restore A KJ

[desertkj]

Ok, so I washed and Zymol'd the Jeep yesterday. I'm realizing that process just isn't going to cut it anymore. Slight scratches, rock chips, fading plastic, etc. So, I have a few questions for the next time as it is going to get the royal treatment. I may also debadge it, possibly get my door dings popped out, and get some blue Silverstars for a good night effect. I could ask these over at Autopia, but I don't think they are quite as accomodating to newbie questions sometimes.

1: What is a good way to restore plastic? I have heard good things about Meguiar's Back to Black. Is it worth the money or is there a better process?

2: Is there any feasible way to get rid of most of the rockchips on the rear fenders short of repainting them?

3: What is a good claybar?

4: What is the temperature range on Zaino? It is typically at least 90 degrees by the time I wake up for work at 6 AM.

5: What is a good treatment for the roofrails?

 

[Atrus]

1: The Wrangler guys use Krylon Fusion spray paint. I was very skeptical, but my buddy did it on his '99 a few months back, and it looks great! I was worried about masking lines, but he bought a few packs of cheap playing cards and put them between the flares and the sheetmetal, then taped drop cloths to them. Really, it looks great - not sure if the Fusion has a lighter grey though, or only black. For the $10 it cost him, it sure spiffed up the look.
Rally, it was my whole reason for setting my sights on a Sport - easily restored in my opinion. I was worried about painted flares getting scratched and nicked.

2: In my opinion, no. I am not very good with touch-ups and stuff, and I have never been successful on past cars. I think you really need to be good at it to pull it off.

3: Not sure. I like Meguire's products. Mother's is good too. I don't think you need to be too picky on the brand, just use one!

4: Not sure on that one

5: Not sure

 

[desertkj]

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. I should have been more specific with the plastic. I have a Limited, so I am only looking at the door handles, mirrors, rear plastic step thingy, and the trim at the base of the windshield.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Find me a way to paint my bare plastic flares (I don't like them...), and I will do it.

 

[JeepJeepster]

I use Meguiars All Season Dressing on all of the exterior plastic and it works out great. The door handles tend to fade when it rains or I wash it, but the rest of the plastic keeps a nice look. I use it on the mudflaps, fenderwells, door handles, and roof rack.

The Gold Class Trim Detailer may work out alittle better and last longer.

And I do not believe Meguiars makes back to black. Mothers does.

1. See above

2. Go to a dealership and buy some touch up paint. Use a Tooth Pick to put the paint right into the hole. I used some touch-up paint and it looks purdy crappy, so Im going to try to remove the touch-up paint and use a tooth pick.

3. Meguiars Smoot Clay Kit

4. If the surface temp is 90, thats to hot. The paint should be cool to the touch and in the shade. Its best to clay, use a paint cleaner(Meguiars DC#1 is good), polish(Megs DC#2), then a good wax. Ive never used Zaino and probably never will. Kinda sounds like a drain cleaner.

5. A good protectant should be fine. I use meguairs All Season Dressing on the plastic parts although Im unsure what you should use on the metal bars. Ive never used anything on those as mine look good. You could try a plastic protectant and see how it looks. Use it on the back side first so no one could see it.

 

[timmer]

For my plastic parts I finally ordered the Cover All dressing that was discussed in this thread: http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30916

I did my door handles and it took off all of the wax residue and they look new again. This was a couple of weeks ago and even after some torrential rain and tropical heat they still look good.

I bought 4 cans of it so I can send you one if you'd like to try it, just PM me if so.

I want to try the clay bar soon but my garage is full (jeep will not fit) and its now going to be 95 every day until December or so. Maybe on the next cloudy day I'll give it a try.

 

[desertkj]

Wow. Thanks for all the advice guys. Hey, Blake, what are you talking about with DC #1 and DC #2? Also, why do you say that about Zaino? Just the name or what? I wasn't going to use it, I always thought it was Autopia hype. However, a good friend of mine at church who used to be a valet and detailer gave it a lot of praise.

 

[JeepJeepster]

Haha, I was just poking fun at ya. Im a big Meguiars fan and thats all I use. Find what you like and stick with it.. Thats a moto Ive picked up..

DC stands for Deep Chrystal. Its a line of products that Meguiars makes. You can find it at advance auto parts and I believe walmart.

Sorry that I didnt explain that. Im use to being on the detailing forums.

DC1=Paint Cleaner
DC2=Polish
DC3=wax

 

[Boilermaker]

Since it came up a couple of times in this thread...painting the KJ flares with Krylon is a little more involved then on a wrangler. Looks pretty good initially (pics here and here), but over time it becomes tough to maintain. Front bumper will chip, and you even have to be careful pumping gas because it will take the paint right off. That's kind of the short version since desertkj has a limited and was asking about the other plastic bits.

They just opened up an Advanced down the road, i'll have to give Cover All dressing a try...thanks for the info.

 

[timmer]

They just opened up an Advanced down the road, i'll have to give Cover All dressing a try...thanks for the info.

I couldn't find it at Advance, I had to order it from their website - it's in that thread.

 

[Boilermaker]

thanks for pointing that out up, should have done more than skim the first couple pages of the thread. Having to order it directly from Superior explains why i couldn't find it on Advance's website.

 

[AZKJ]

Check out this site for how to do the touch-up paint... http://www.langka.com/paint_chip_repair.php

Here is my detailing ritual:

- Wash and dry when needed, otherwise I just wipe the vehicle off with a California Duster, then wipe it down with Meguiar's Quick Detailer spray
- clay bar if needed (no specific brand, all seem to work just as well)
- Meguiar's NXT Generation Wax (goes on and off real easy)
- Turtle Wax "ICE" detailer spray used as a sealer.
- In between washes I just dust off the vehicle and wipe it down with the Meguiar's Quick Detailer spray or the ICE Detailer
- I haven't found the perfect tire dressing yet so I use whatever I decided to try out
- every now and then I'll put some wax on the wheels
- two - three times a year I remove the wheels and wash the inside of the rims
- Back to Black for the plastic trim

In all honesty, the NXT wax doesn't last as long as I would like in the HOT Arizona sun (but then, none of them do), so because it's so easy to go on and come off, I don't mind waxing a little more often with the NXT.

 

[minimedic]

ok, what is the clay used for? is it something easy to do and something thats needed and how often?? thx

 

[desertkj]

ok, what is the clay used for? is it something easy to do and something thats needed and how often?? thx

I'm sure Blake (jeepjeepster) can get more in depth on this than I can, but clay is a putty type thing that you can buy at most auto supply stores or even at Wal mart probably. It uses a spray or other lubricant and you run the clay over the entire vehicle before you wax it. It removes dirt particles and other contaminants that you would not normally get from washing and leaves the paint in a great condition that is often bettter than it was off the showroom floor. However, there is some warnings to it in that if you are not careful, it is possible to damage the clearcoat. My best advice is to head over to www.autopia.org and do some more research. It can be overwhelming, but you will learn more than you ever thought possible about detailing. I'll tell you one thing, it takes a while when you do it, but it is worth it.

 

[minimedic]

Thanks! SO, how much do you charge to do it?!?! LOL

 

[desertkj]

Thanks! SO, how much do you charge to do it?!?! LOL

Lemme see how long it takes on mine and I'll get back to you on that

 

[JeepJeepster]

A clay bar removes 'bonded contaminates.' That can range from over spray(paint), rail rust(trains), tree sap, and many other things. Normal washings or using a paint cleaner will not remove these which is where the clay comes in.

They usually come in a kit which includes the clay. The only way to mess up the clear is to drop it or get something in the clay. You must take care to keep the clay clean. If you drop it, even though the kit cost $18, you CANNOT use it.

I got my meguiars kit at advance. It comes with two clay bars, Micro Fiber towel, small bottle of Meguiars Cleaner wax, and Quik Detailer(the lube). If you do not use enough lube, the clay can smear on the paint but you should be able to remove it with the Quik detailer and the Micro Fiber.